As the imaging technology develops, imaging devices such as photocopiers, printers, fax machines, and word processors are widely used in various fields. Such an imaging device is commonly provided with a removable imaging cartridge (such as an ink cartridge and a toner cartridge) for accommodating recording materials, and the imaging cartridge is generally provided with a chip. The chip is stored with invariable data relevant to the imaging cartridge, and variable data generated in a printing procedure, wherein the invariable data can be manufacturer code, date of manufacture, model, characteristic parameters, and the like, while the variable data can be imaging pages, remaining amount of recording materials, revolutions of a rotating unit, and the like. The rotating unit herein can be a core component used in an imaging operation, such as an OPC drum, a primary charge roller, a developer roller, and a supply roller. In a communication procedure between the imaging device and the chip, the imaging device will read the data stored in the chip or update the data stored in the chip.
When the chip is mounted into the imaging device, a communication interface of the chip will be electrically connected to a contact terminal of the imaging device, to form a communication line, which includes a clock line CLK for transmission of clock pulse signals, and a data line DAT for transmitting data under the action of the clock pulse signals. The data line DAT is a bidirectional data transmission line, such that data can be transmitted either from the imaging device to the chip via the data line, or from the chip to the imaging device via the data line. The clock line CLK is a unidirectional signal transmission line, wherein the clock pulse signals being transmitted are usually under the control of the imaging device, so that the imaging device and the chip act synchronously. FIG. 1 shows a communication procedure in which the imaging device reads data stored in the chip. At a rising edge A of a first clock pulse signal, the chip will transmit a first datum 1 to the data line (i.e., the chip will transmit a high level signal to the data line). And at a falling edge B of the first clock pulse signal, the imaging device will read the datum 1 from the data line. At a rising edge C of a second clock pulse signal, the chip will transmit a second datum 0 to the data line (i.e., the chip will transmit a low level signal to the data line). And at a falling edge D of the second clock pulse signal, the imaging device will read the datum 0 from the data line. As such, the chip will transmit one datum to the data line at each of points E, G, I, K, and M, and the imaging device will read the data from the data line at points F, H, J, L, and N. In the end, the chip will transmit the data 10110100 to the imaging device. Likewise, FIG. 1 can also show a communication procedure in which the imaging device writes data into the chip. At the rising edge A of the first clock pulse signal, the imaging device will transmit the first datum 1 onto the data line (i.e., the imaging device will transmit a high level signal to the data line). And at the falling edge B of the first clock pulse signal, the chip will read the datum 1 from the data line. At the rising edge C of the second clock pulse signal, the imaging device will transmit the second datum 0 onto the data line (i.e., the imaging device will transmit a low level signal to the data line). And at the falling edge D of the second clock pulse signal, the chip will read the datum 0 from the data line. As such, the imaging device will transmit one datum to the data line at each of points E, G, I, K, and M, and the chip will read the data from the data line at points F, H, J, L, and N. In the end, the imaging device will transmit the data 10110100 to the chip.
Although the above communication procedures are simple and easy to perform, they are incapable of satisfying people's increasing demands. For example, customers may expect to know about more information, such as anti-counterfeit information and manufacturing information of the chip. And suppliers or manufacturers of the chip may seek to know the working environment, users' mis-operation conditions, usage states of the chip, and the like. Where abnormality arises, the reasons thereof can be readily found out according to the above information. CN 201210209303.5 discloses a chip stored with parameter values of usage states of the chip, comprising at least one selected from a group consisting of WRITE times, normal communication times, READ times, communication failure times, and communication interference times. When the chip receives a READ/WRITE operation command from an imaging device, or when a control unit of the chip monitors a communication interference signal, the chip will automatically update the parameter value of the usage state thereof. When the chip fails, if the supplier or manufacturer, through reading the parameter value of the usage state of the chip, learns that the chip fails after being used for only a limited number of times, it can be concluded that the failure is largely due to performance deficiency of the chip. On the contrary, if the chip has been used for many times, it can then be concluded that the failure might due to an end of the service life of the chip. Information similar to the parameter value of the usage state as described above can be generally termed as implicit data. Although an existing chip has been stored with these implicit data, an existing imaging device generally does not support a READ/WRITE operation thereof. The chip has to be removed from the imaging device and mounted to an additional information reading device, which can simulate a command of the imaging device and read the implicit data from the chip. Even if there might exist a small number of imaging devices that can support a READ/WRITE operation of these implicit data, such an operation should be based on the traditional communication procedure as indicated in FIG. 1, wherein an additional data reading command is necessary during the communication between the imaging device and the chip for the READ/WRITE operation of the implicit data. However, such an additional READ/WRITE operation will inevitably prolong communication time between the imaging device and the chip, which is against rapid start and response of the imaging device, thereby reducing imaging efficiency.
As a result, there is an urgent need of a chip which is capable of outputting the implicit data without disturbing normal communication between the imaging device and the chip, an imaging device that can cooperate with such a chip, and a corresponding communication method.